The Girl on the Bridge
by Kasadija957
Summary: Ichigo, a teenage boy experiences a girl's death on his way home from school. How can such a thing change you and does a spirit truly can leave when his dreams have been left unfinished? AU story, IchiRuki pairing
1. Pilot

**1 - Pilot**

It was the same, usual day. I was walking down from school, going through the grocery list I needed to buy for tonight's dinner. Yuzu, my little sister, asked me to. The day was slightly greyish, it seemed it would rain soon. I was on the bridge, the same old bridge I walked over every day. Always I would think of the view from the bridge as peaceful if only it wouldn't be for those cars crossing it. Always too many and too loud to enjoy the view, though today I noticed something different. A girl sitting on the bridge's railing, staring in the distance. She was so small, sitting so close to the edge that it felt like if wind would blow it would blow her into the water down below.

"What the hell are you doing? Don't jump!" I shouted to her, walking towards her. She looked back at me, and for a second I was paralysed by the insensitivity of her blue eyes. Her face turned into a frown.

"The hell are you talking about?" she answered.

"I said 'don't jump'!" I repeated now almost next to her.

"You fool, I wasn't going to jump!"

"Then why would you sit on the edge of the railings?"

"Surely not because I wish to jump!" She answered, face still frowned, blue eyes burning holes in mines.

"Get down from there! What if you fall?" I said taking her hand and pulling her down.

"I'm not going to fall unless an earthquake starts, so leave me be!" She said fighting back. I was bigger, stronger and standing with both legs on the ground so I had an advantage and I pulled her down and on her own two feet.

"God, what are you, my mother?" She asked, annoyed.

"No, but she should take better care of you!" I answered, and she threw a dark look at me, "Yea, whatever." She mumbled.

"So why would a girl like you jump down from a bridge?" I asked.

"I wasn't trying to do it, could you get over the jumping part already?" she said, annoyed and pulled her arm out of mine, backing away from me, "I just like to look at the sk—"

I guess she tripped, though I don't know over what, maybe her leg just slipped down the sidewalk, but she started to fall backwards. I moved, I think, my muscles twitched, I wanted to catch her, I even leaned forward a bit, but then a terrible sound and black blur passed by me, and I think I heard bones breaking as I saw the girl roll over the windshield of the car and then fall down on asphalt, hard.

I couldn't move, I guess I didn't know what to do. Hell, I was only 15 years old teenager going home from school, I have never seen anyone get hit by a car before! The driver was by the girl, kneeling down, checking for pulse, listening if she was still breathing, shouting something at me and at the others around me. Yeah, there were some people crowding around us, someone shouted that they have called the ambulance, everyone was mumbling something to themselves, and someone said she isn't breathing.

Oh, yea, someone did say that. My eyes shot to a man next to the driver, I think he said he's a doctor but I'm not sure. He tried to get her back to life, did that first aid thing with chest massage. The man was dressed almost all in black, funny that he wasn't wearing anything white because that's what doctors usually wear. You know what's else funny? That I'm thinking about what the doctor wears, standing in the crowd among others, looking at a dead girl's body. I was looking at her too and she was quite pretty, with short black hair taken in two ponytails and a white summer dress. I found it somehow odd that she didn't wear school uniform. I also think that she is too pale, but maybe it's because she's dead.

And now I was waiting for some disgusting feeling, a panic attack or some other kind of reaction that would prove I'm alive. But there was nothing like that. I was completely fine. But I was going through my memories, searching for something I could have done, so it wouldn't have happened, ended this way. I guess I shouldn't have pulled her off the bridge. Wops, I guess that's my bad.

Ambulance workers rushed to the girl's side, touching her. Silly, because the other man already said she's dead. And that's true because the ambulance workers aren't in hurry anymore, asking the doctor for what have happened. I didn't hear the sirens of the ambulance or police cars. When I try harder I think they are there, in the distance, but it sounds more like I'm underwater. The police officer is here too now, talking to the driver. He points at me, stands up and comes over. The driver is pale, sweating. I guess he's under a lot of stress, looks like a business man in a suit. If he's a politician then I think he just lost his job. It's not a good thing to kill girls.

The officer shakes my shoulder. Oh, I guess they were talking to me. I didn't hear. Still don't. Their voices sound so muffed. It's hard to make out words.

"What?" I mumble, but my lips feel kind of numb and dry. I have a nasty taste in my mouth too.

"Did – see – happened?" Is all I can make out, and I don't even hear it, I read it from lips. Officer has moustache. He's pale too.

"... was talking with her..." I hear my voice say. My eyes turn away from the officer's lips and looks over at the girl again. They are putting her in a body bag. I stare at her, this will be the last time I see her.

Officer shakes my shoulder again. "Are you alright, son?" He asks, staring at me with his blue eyes. But they were ugly blue, not as clear as that girl's were.

"I should get home..." I mumble. I should go home, otherwise Yuzu will be worried and she'll call Karin, my other sister, and then I'll have to listen to her yelling at me all evening.

"Not quite yet, son. We should ask you a few questions." Officer said.

"He killed her." I said, pointing at the driver. The man's breath stuck in his neck, he stared at me with wide eyes, and it was hard to read any emotions.

Maybe it was too honest replay, but I really wanted to go home, and the killing thing was the main part the police should know.

The officer looked at the driver, said something to him I didn't hear, and then turned back at me with a sigh. "Give me your phone number, son, so we could call you later if there are any questions."

I gave it and went home.

**A/N: Here is an idea for story I just came up with. I'll publish this to see what people think about it and do they like it so I'd know should I continue this.**

**Did Ichigo sounded little crazy in this? I mean, you should forgive him because he did see a girl die. And it takes some time to completely understand what have happened.**

**Thank you for reading and please, if you have any comment - review, but if you don't have anything nice to say then leave now, because I did try and negative moreover rude comments really hurts my feelings.**


	2. Life after

**2 – Life after**

The walk home was weird. All the sound were somehow off and everything seemed blurry. Lights were odd too. I thought about the incident, wondered if they'll show it in the news tonight. They should.

When I got home I was still feeling odd. There was something in my stomach. Maybe something I ate.

Yuzu asked me if something happened because my face was all pale. I don't remember what I answered but I guess it was okay for her to let me pass. I walked up the stairs, hardly seeing any steps at all. She called me from downstairs, asked me, where are the groceries. Hell, I guess I forgot about that.

Next thing I knew I was in my bed, sleeping. But it was a cold sleep. That uneasy feeling in my gut was killing me. And I hadn't even noticed that I was that tired. It was hard to keep my mind conscious so I gave up trying.

I didn't have any dreams. It was just cold blackness. So cold that I woke up all covered in cold sweat. But I didn't wake up for no reason. My stomach felt terribly wrong. Sick. So I ran to the bathroom and was there just in time to clear out all my stomach's content in the toilet bowl.

I washed my face and rinse my mouth. I couldn't remember what I ate so bad today. All my afternoon was in one big blur. I couldn't remember what I was doing.

I looked in mirror.

Pale face, hollow eyes, dark bags under them.

Oh.

Oh, right!

I remember now. My knees gave in and I collapsed on the bathroom's floor. My forehead resting against the cold material on the side of the sink. _I saw a girl die today. A girl died today. She died because of me. I killed someone. I killed someone today._ I felt my lover lip starting to shake as my heart felt full of despair.

_I don't even know her name._

The next morning I didn't come downstairs and I didn't go to school. Yuzu asked what's wrong but I just answered I'm sick and she shouldn't come near me or she'll catch it too. But I'm not sure you can catch the feeling of guilt.

I spend all the morning staring at my ceiling. There was nothing better to do anyways. Nothing worth it.

I kept thinking about that girl. Those beautiful, amazing eyes. I remember that girl so vividly. Everything else about yesterday was blurry and gray.

In the afternoon the police called. My sister answered the phone and once she heard who's talking she ran into my room as if the house was on fire. The police wanted to meet up, wanted me to talk over about what I saw. We will meet tomorrow. Now I had to explain everything to my family. Karin kept her cool, but Yuzu eyes were as big as two tennis balls. She kept asking me how I feel and do I want soup. _To hell with soup!_

Explaining everything to police was a pain in the ass. Mostly because I didn't understand it myself. But one of the questions was "So you were the last who talked to her?"

I couldn't get that question out of my mind for days. I was the last person she talked to. The last person she saw. She looked into my eyes when she got hit. It was _I._

I couldn't forget her eyes too. Whenever I thought about her I saw those eyes. That crazy, blue colour. When I thought about them it was almost like I felt their presence. And there was that uneasy feeling in my stomach too.

I had to visit psychologist for two months. That's six times. I hate to admit it, but she kind of helped. She told me that it's normal for me to feel guilty but I shouldn't blame myself because I didn't know what will happen. I just wanted to save her. She also told me that uneasy feeling must be stress or guilt and it should eventually disappear. In the last meeting she asked do I still feel it. I said "no" because I didn't want to visit her again. She said I'm good to go.

The police told me _her_ name. It's Rukia Kuchiki. She was 17 years old. I would have never guessed, she looked much younger. They didn't tell me anything more, only where is her grave.

It's been two years now. I'm at my final year at high school. Every day, in 6th October I go visit her grave. Well, I actually visit it much oftener, but this date is always much more special. 6th October is the day she died. When I come, at her grave there are always red flowers. I heard it is her dead sisters husband Byakuya. He was her guardian because it turned out both her parents were dead. _And that day I told her that stuff about her mother..._

Today I stop three graves away. I am surprised to see a girl at her grave. She's down on her knees putting flowers next to the red ones. The girl has long, ginger hair. I walk and stand next to her. She looks up at me with big, greyish blue eyes.

"Hi, there!" she says and sounds so nice and happy. Her smile is really friendly too. "Did you know her?"

"Sort of," I answer, because really, I found out about her much more after her death, "how did you know her?"

"We were like best friends!" She said, "She sometimes seemed mysterious and distant but inside she was actually a really sweet and caring person. Full of unrealised dreams and wishes... it's such a tragedy she's gone." She says but she's not looking at me, she looks in the distance, her eyes aren't set on anything in particular. Then she blinks and her attention again falls on me. "You didn't tell me how you knew her!"

"Oh, well, I actually didn't. I was the one who saw the crash." I say and something in her changes. Her eyes suddenly turns colder, her body language seems more aggressive though she haven't even moved jet.

"Really?" She says, her voice cold, "it's nice of you to visit her then," she doesn't mean it, it sounds more like robot-like automatic response.

"That day I met her by the bridge. We started talking, she took few steps back and –"

"I know!" the ginger girl shouts hiding her head in her lap, "I know..."

I think she started to cry because her shoulders started shaking slightly. I don't know what to say now. I stare at words _Kuchiki Rukia _engraved in stone.

"They told us what happened. It was an accident" the girl whispers.

"Yeah" I answer.

"I don't think I saw you at funeral back then. I think I would have remembered because you're that kind of person whose looks are hard to forget." She says looking up at me after a while. Her face slightly flushed.

I don't understand what she meant when she talked about my looks but she is right about funeral. I wasn't there. I didn't have the guts. Because no one knows, I didn't tell anyone, but it was my fault. And I couldn't bear to see all those people to whom I have stolen an important person. "I wasn't there. I wasn't sure I have any rights to be there."

The girl looked at me, thought over what I just said. It looked like she doesn't have answer to say.

"What were her last words?" she asks to me. No one asked it before so I'm a little surprised.

I don't have to spend a lot of time trying to remember that because the content isn't important.

"She didn't finish her last sentence." I said because I remember how her voice suddenly got blocked by the loud noise.

"That's bad. That's really bad!" She says and I don't understand what she meant by that.

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"If soul hasn't finished her business on Earth, she cannot pass further."

**A/N - Okay, here goes second chapter! Don't know do you like it, but I kind of do. Maybe the way the story has been said seems a little weird, but I think the weirdness adds a special feeling to it. Well, I don't know. And, I know this story jumps way in the future and some readers would enjoy more detail, don't worry, it'll come, the craziness is just for the start, to create the atmosphere.**

**Thank you for reading, and thanks to all who reviewed! **


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